Emporia State volleyball takes #22 Central Oklahoma to five sets on Friday night

October 6, 2023-Emporia State dropped the first two sets but battled back to force a fifth before falling 25-16, 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 15-4 at #22 Central Oklahoma on Friday night in Edmond, Okla. Sandora Sasaki had career highs of 23 kills and 20 digs for the Hornets.
 
Emporia State opened the match with a quick 2-0 lead before Central Oklahoma rattled off five straight points.  The Hornets answered with a 6-1 run of their own to top up 8-6. A Tasiah Nunnery kill had ESU within 13-12, but UCO would score the next eight points to take control of the set.  The two teams played even over the last eight points as the Bronchos came away with a 25-16 win.
 
The second set saw 11 ties and four lead changes before the Bronchos pulled out a 25-23 victory. Neither team took more than a two point lead through the first 32 points. With the score tied at 14, UCO went on a 7-2 run to take a 21-16 lead.  ESU answered with a 7-2 run of their own to tie the set at 23.  Mikiah Perdue had kills on the next two points to give the Bronchos a 25-23 win and 2-0 edge in the match.
 
The Hornets jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set and never trailed on the way to a 25-23 win to keep the match alive. ESU took their biggest lead of the set at 11-5 when UCO went on a 7-1 run to tie the score at 12. The final point of the run came on an overturned challenge. After the review and reversal Nunnery rattled off two straight kills to put the Hornets back on top 14-12. The Bronchos would tie the score at 19, 20, and 21 but a service error from UCO and a kill by McKenya Sorrells gave Emporia State a 25-23 win.
 
The fourth set was all Emporia State as they outhit UCO .343 to .167 thanks in large part to Sasaki. The junior was seven of nine on the attack in the third set. After a 4-4 tie, Emporia State went on a 5-0 run to take a 9-4 lead.  With the Hornets leading 14-8, the Bronchos would score four straight points starting with a service error and ending with three straight UCO service aces.  Nunnery finally ended the run with a kill to give ESU a 15-12 lead. Back to back kills by Sasaki and Caydence Doebele capped an 8-2 run and gave the Hornets a 23-14 lead. With ESU leading 24-15 the Bronchos would fought off six set points before a Maureen Mathews kill made it 25-21 and sent the match to a fifth set.
 
Emporia State trailed 4-1 to start and could not get a run started before falling 15-4 in the final set against the nationally ranked Bronchos.
 
Sasaki had career highs of 23 kills and 20 digs and was joined in double figures by Nunnery with 16 kills and 12 digs while Sorrells added 12 kills. Brailee Bogle had a career high 52 assists.
 
Emporia State is back in action on Saturday when they travel to Pittsburg State. First serve from John Lance Arena is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
 
NOTES
Sasaki's 23 kills are the most by a Hornet since Jamie Hauptman had 23 against UCO on November 3, 2018.
Sasaki became the first Hornet with a 20 kill/20 dig match since Carly Spicer had 22 kills and 24 digs against UCO on November 1, 2014.
Sasaki has now reached double figures in 15 straight matches to open the season. It is the longest such streak by a Hornet since Arica Shepard reached double figure in the final 28 matches of the 2009 season. It is the longest streak to start a season by a Hornets since the NCAA moved to 25 point sets in 2008.
Bogle's 52 assists are the most by a Hornet since Emma Dixon had 58 against Central Missouri on October 28, 2018.